Thoughts? article: sex ed for kindergarteners

Re: Thoughts? article: sex ed for kindergarteners

• Rachey1082 member

  February 2013

  We were all in kindergarden once. Most of us probably remember having our own idea of how we thought babies were made. My sister demonstrated with naked Barbies hugging. In my 5 year old mind, sex equaled naked hugging, boys had penises, girls had vaginas and that was it.
  
  Why are our expectations of kindergardens so high? They're babies still.

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• Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha member

  February 2013

  mananana:

  I didn't feel like the article explained it in enough detail for me to truly determine how I feel, but based on the generalizations given it seemed awfully informative for kindergarteners.  

   On the flip side, it is important to educate kids in some regards early.  There is research that says that predators are much more intimidated by a child who knows to say, "Don't touch my penis/vagina." than "Don't touch my peepee/potty/weewee/whatever."  

  We have a program about abuse prevention.  The leaders of the program always come to meet with families an evening before it begins and families have the option of allowing their kids to participate.  In kindergarten it just involves learning the proper names for body parts and that they are meant to be private (mommies, daddies, and doctors might need to help clean them or examine them at a doctor's office, etc.) and who they should talk to what they should say if anyone wants to touch their private parts.

  I agree that there wasn't enough information in the article for me to truly form an opinion.

  I won't lie, though, my first reaction upon reading the title of the article was WTH! I feel like the "birds and bees" talk should happen with the parents first - and I'm not sure all (or even most) kids have had that talk by the time they start kindergarden.

  With that said, I could definitely see a use for type of class, like mananana just described.

  I also think that today's children are exposed to sex in general  at a much younger age than we were - if we want them to be well informed, then we need to act earlier. And while a big chunk of the responsibility goes to the parent, I think it really makes a difference if they get it from another source - one they can trust but isn't their parent.

  So yeah, I guess I am FOR starting sex ed earlier, I'm just not sure about starting it THAT early. 

  

  

  Farewell, nesticle, you will be missed

  

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• ladybugpjb member

  March 2013

  I want to say that we DID have pretty early talks at school about appropriate/inappropriate touching. I don't remember when - maybe 2nd grade? I think that is an important lesson that should be taught. We had sex ed in 5th grade - I think I knew the basics by that point, but I really don't remember when I learned about it, since I also remember believing that women got pregnant if their belly touched a man's belly and the sperm travel through somehow. I got that impression from the movie "Look Who's Talking." lol.

  The idea sits pretty uncomfortably with me, mostly since there seems to have been a recent surge in number of child/adolescent-related news articles. I read one about a transgender 6-year-old, and also one about a girl (age 13) in England who fell out of a window and died when she was leaning out a window yelling at a boy asking him to delete the video of her performing a sex act. (Sorry no links...it's late and I don't feel like searching for them.)

  I also feel like DH and I should be the ones to discuss those things with our LOs - I'd like to have control over how and when we tackle that subject...and kindergarten seems early too tackle some of the things the article implied would be taught that early.

  At the same time, I've been around at least one child that age who seemed pretty aware of sexual things, just from watching TV - an ad for a Sandals resort came on when I was hanging out with her family, and...well...you've probably seen ads for Sandals resorts. She was pretty focused on it and asked what was going on in the commercial. Thankfully, I didn't have to respond to that one. I just wish kids could be kids without stuff like that getting shoved in their faces.

  

  

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• Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha member

  March 2013

  Kimbus22:

  Side Note:  Her early teachings led to me go to Nursery School Show and Tell and give a pretty informative lecture about where babies come from. Apparently it ended with "And then babies are supposed to come out of your crotch.  But my mommy has a little crotch so they cut her babies out of her belly."

  "But my mommy has a little crotch".

  /dead/ 

  

  

  Farewell, nesticle, you will be missed

  

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